Trances, Fainting and Meltdowns . . .

When I picked the boys up today from the stake father-son campout (this time without Tracy), Bryant was so drowsy he wouldn't even hug me! WHAT? Christian said he had to “shake Bryant like ten times” before he would wake up once they arrived back! And while Bryant was in his trance, Christian and I decided we were very thankful that Bryant doesn't really sleepwalk – that could have proved perilous last night as they camped in some castle ruins near Trier. Our ward boys decided to sleep in the tower, 300 feet up?, under the stars. Okay, so I'm pretty sure I couldn't sleep under those conditions (let alone under the stars), so I'm just not convinced that they really slept . . . hence, the trance-like state with which Bryant greeted me this afternoon!

Which reminds me . . . Bryant actually fainted last Sunday! I was lying on the couch, taking a rare Sunday nap, when I heard a THUD (like someone had slipped and hit their head)! I rushed over to find Bryant lying still on his back with his eyes closed . . . SCARED ME TO DEATH! As soon as I touched him, he woke up and said, “that was weird.” Apparently he had compromised his circulation while he had his legs propped up (at the computer), and when he got up to walk out to the living area . . . he fainted!

Soon after I arrived back from my stateside trip last month, I helped Bryant make his final Eagle Project preparations – coordinating a clean-up of the Heiligenberg Amphitheater. I was on hand to give some helpful tips on what equipment he might need, how to advertise for help, etc. I even wrote a plea to the district boy scout representative seeking timely approval of Bryant's project since he would like to make a positive impression (of Boy Scouts and Americans in general) on our local German city officials. But the height of my helpfulness included a highly merited “scout meltdown” (something akin to the meltdown I had last year when I learned that Christian's well planned project might not get approved). I don't actually yell or scream, I just shut down, cry (a LOT) and cease to be logical. The boys, of course, have great sympathy for me (lots of hugs) and that is when Tracy steps in and helps make some pertinent phone calls. And yes, Bryant's project was approved – just two scant days before the actual project, and he did a bang-up job leading his troop and other volunteers in a service project for the city of Heidelberg. Good Job Bryant!